Football

2010 Football Schedule Announced

PAINESVILLE, OHIO – The third varsity season of Lake
Erie College football will open the same as the previous two, but
after that a set of new challenges await the Storm as it enters its
first season in arguably Division II's toughest conference.

Lake Erie's 11-game 2010 football schedule, officially released
on Thursday, May 27, features five home games and six road games
–beginning with the season opener Thursday night, Sept. 2, at
Gannon University – and a total of 10 league games in the
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“Although there are no easy games in the conference, the
schedule makers certainly did us no favors while putting together
the road portion of our schedule,” said head coach
Mark McNellie, who prior to coming to Lake Erie in
2006 spent a majority of his coaching career in the GLIAC.
“Playing three teams that participated in
the (NCAA Division II) playoffs is a tough task in itself,
but playing all three on the road is an epic challenge for our
young program. Our players' fortitude and perseverance will surely
be tested playing Grand Valley, Saginaw Valley and Hillsdale all on
the road.

“The home half of the schedule brings five quality
opponents to the newly renovated Jack Britt Stadium. This home
schedule should be a great opportunity for Storm fans, and college
football fans in general, to watch some high quality Division II
football.”

The Storm's highly anticipated league opener will be Sept. 11 at
Jack Britt Memorial Stadium against Michigan Technological
University at 1 p.m. That will be the first game played on
the facility's new ProGrass Monoturf surface. But before that,
there's some unfinished business the week before.

In each of the past two season openers, Gannon has pulled out
narrow victories in the closing minutes, including last year's
35-34 thriller at Gannon Field. The teams will once again
meet in Erie to open the 2010 campaign and the Storm will be
looking to start the season with a win for the first time.

“The season opener against Gannon has been circled on our
calendar since the last play of the 2009 season,” McNellie
said. “Though this is a non-league game, Gannon is a
geographical rival, a Division II program very much on the rise, a
team that we have unfinished business with and a pivotal game in
building momentum for the long grind in the GLIAC.”

That grind begins the following week against Michigan Tech and
continues with two straight games on the road at teams that reached
the postseason a year ago. The Storm will play at Saginaw
Valley State University on Sept. 18 and at regional semifinalist
Hillsdale College Sept. 25.

The Storm returns home to host Ferris State University on
Homecoming Oct. 2 (1 p.m.) and will play just the second home night
game in school history Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. against Wayne State
University.

“We are excited to bring night football back to
Painesville and what more could you ask for than playing a big-time
program like Wayne State, under the lights in front of a huge
hometown crowd,” McNellie said. “We really hope our
entire campus and the local community will come out for this unique
opportunity.”

The following weekend, Oct. 16, the Storm will play under the
lights again but this time it will be in Allendale, Mich. at
national runner-up and four-time national champion Grand Valley
State University (7 p.m.).

The Storm will play at the University of Findlay Oct. 23 (12
p.m.) before playing two straight at home. Ohio Dominican
University, which won a wild 52-49 game last season at Britt
Stadium, comes to Painesville Oct. 30 (1 p.m.) and then Tiffin
University will be the Storm's opponent for Senior Day Nov. 6 (1
p.m.).

The season wraps up with a road game at Ashland University Nov.
13 (1 p.m.).

“I am very excited to see where we stack up in arguably
the best Division II football conference in the nation,”
McNellie said. “Regardless of whom we play, as a
program we talk about out-working the competition and competing
everyday. So whether we line up against the Chicago Bears or the
Bad News Bears I am hoping you will see great enthusiasm and great
effort from our team.”